This disclosure relates primarily to the universally well-known traffic cone which is used for controlling pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Cones; also referred to as traffic pylons, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, and construction cones, are generally upright hollow shells which are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect or control traffic. They may actually be cone shaped or polygonal in cross-section and are often used to create separation or merge lanes during road construction projects or automobile accidents. Heavier, more permanent markers or signs are used if a diversion is to stay in place for more than a few hours or days. Cones are typically used outdoors during road work or other situations requiring traffic redirection or advance warning of hazards or dangers, or the prevention of traffic ingress. Cones are also used to mark where children may play or to block off an area to foot traffic. For night time use or low-light situations cones are usually fitted with a retro-reflective sleeves or patches to increase their visibility. On occasion, cones may also be fitted with flashing lights for the same reason. In the United States, cones are required by the Federal Highway Administration to be fitted with reflective white bands for night-time visibility. Reflective collars such as white strips made from white reflective plastic, may slip over cones snugly, and tape or adhesive can be used to attach the collars to the cones permanently. Cones are designed to be highly visible and easily movable. Various sizes are used, commonly ranging from around 30 cm (11.8 in) to a little over 1 m (39.4 in). Cones come in many different colors, with orange, yellow, pink, and orange being the most common due to their brightness. Others may be green or blue, and may also have a retro-reflective strip attached, commonly known as “flash tape,” to increase their visibility. There are several difficulties with the cones now in use. One problem is that there is no easy way to tie cones together to form a continuous “do not cross” visible barrier strip. Therefore, cones are typically placed in a tight line to form a barrier. This is wasteful since fewer cones might be used if it were simple to string a barrier tape between cones that are spaced wider apart. Another problem is that cones must be light in weight and yet weighed-down to remain stationary under windy conditions and when grazed by vehicles or tampered with by children. Prior art cones accomplish this by using a ring of a heavy material which is dropped over the cone. Upon contact with a vehicle the cone and ring tend to separate. Another approach is the use of fasteners to join the ring and cone. This requires expensive assembly time and fastener costs. A still further approach is to mold both cone and ring integrally. This presents a molding problem since the cone and the ring require different cooling times and the cost of cone material is high relative to what a wing can be made of. Co-molding the ring and cone has been used but has problems in proper joining of the two separate parts and is relatively expensive in terms of molding set-up time. The presently described cone and ring approach overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art presenting a superior solution which is cost efficient in manufacture and also handles well in use, providing advantages which are described in the following.
Like reference symbols in the drawing figures indicate like elements.